FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2004
2004-00 - 0014.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT PRODUCTION MAX KINGSLEY-JONES / LONDON Airbus A380 begins to take shape Subassemblies produced at Airbus sites across Europe head for Toulouse for final assembly of initial aircraft The 23m-long centre fuselage subassembly has been completed in St Nazaire and moved out of its jig Having been removed from its jig in Broughton, the first wing set is now being equipped with its systems Subassemblies for the first batch of Airbus A380s are coming together at the manufacturer's plants across Europe, ahead of final assembly of the first aircraft, which is to begin in the middle of this year in Toulouse. Late last year, the first 23m (75ft)-long centre fuselage (sections 15/21) was removed from its jig at the Airbus France plant in St Nazaire. It has been moved to another workstation for the attach ment of the belly fairing. The fair ing, which is 32m long, 10m wide and 4m high, is the largest such structure to be built for a civil air craft, and is manufactured by Airbus Espana at the Puerto Real plant in southern Spain. Assembly of the centre fuselage started in August and comprises seven main elements. These include two Airbus France-built components - the Nantes-pro duced centre wing box and the Meaulte-built main landing-gear bays. Alenia builds two elements in Italy - the forward lower shell and part of the upper shell; SABCA, Belgium, builds the central lower shell; while the floor grid is con structed by Sogerma in France. Airbus Deutschland also pro duces part of the centre section upper shell. The centre section will undergo anti-corrosion treatment and systems installation ahead of delivery to the Toulouse final assembly line in the middle of the year. Meanwhile, the first A380 cock pit (section 11), which is built at Meaulte, was joined to section 12 - the forward shell and Latecoere- built nose landing-gear bay - in St Nazaire during November. This will be attached to the German-built forward fuselage (section 13) which is being transported by ship from Airbus Deutschland's Hamburg Finkenwerder plant after equip ping. The entire forward fuselage subassembly will then be trans ported to Toulouse by ship, barge and road, via Bordeaux. Equipping of the rear fuselage (section 18) is also under way at Finkenwerder. The rear fuselage will also travel by ship to Bordeaux 12 6-12 JANUARY 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
